Our mission: The Raleigh School is a cooperative community of children, parents and teachers that fosters a love of learning in an atmosphere of challenge, inquiry and respect.

Financial Aid

The Raleigh School offers financial aid to elementary and preschool families. Financial aid rarely covers the full cost of tuition and awards are based on need as assessed by TADS Financial Aid Service at www.tads.com. Please see below for answers to commonly asked questions about financial aid and important dates.

KEY DATES FOR 2018-2019 APPLICANTS

All families wishing to apply for financial assistance at The Raleigh School can begin the financial aid application process by going to www.tads.combeginning October 1, 2017. Click on the Apply for Financial Aid link on the right side of TADS’ website home page to create a user account and access the application on their secure site.

Families of new K-5 student applicants should apply for financial aid early in the admission process for the following school year. To be eligible for consideration for financial assistance at The Raleigh School, an applicant must have completed the admission process, adhered to the deadlines below, and been offered enrollment.

January 16, 2018 – Initial deadline for submitting a completed financial aid application online to TADS. In addition, all required supporting documentation (2016 W-2’s and/or 1099’s, and signed/final 2016 1040 federal income tax return with all supporting schedules) must be submitted directly to TADS by fax, mail, or upload by this date.

Note: Each family applying for financial assistance bears the responsibility to provide TADS with the required documentation and any additional information requested in a timely manner. The Raleigh School will make every effort to provide our applicant families with a preliminary aid decision prior to the enrollment date.

March 29, 2018 - Final award letters will be sent out to new enrollment families. Preliminary awards may be rescinded if signed/final 2017 tax documents are not received by TADS by the March 15, 2018, deadline. The Raleigh School reserves the right to modify financial aid awards after reviewing a family’s 2017 tax return and supporting documentation.

Applicants who apply after the above deadlines are still able to submit the financial aid form. Funds may still be available in late spring.

The Raleigh School uses TADS Financial Aid Service (TADS) to process financial aid applications and review all required supporting documentation. Parents can access the online financial aid application by going to www.tads.com beginning October 1. Click on the Apply for Financial Aid link on the TADS’ website home page to create a user account using your email address and password. You can save and return to your financial aid application as many times as necessary before submitting. When complete, submit your application and pay the nonrefundable application fee of $34.

How are financial aid awards determined?

When determining a family’s eligibility for financial assistance, The Raleigh School considers a need analysis provided by TADS. The TADS system considers taxable and non-taxable income, assets, liabilities, family size, and the number of students in tuition-charging schools. After an allowance for basic necessities and required taxes, the remaining funds are considered available for education. Financial aid is awarded without regard to race, gender, national and ethnic origin, or religion.

I have questions about information being asked for in the online application, who do I contact?

For questions specific to the financial aid application, please contact TADS Customer Support at

Financial aid must be applied for each year, and recalculations are made using current information. The goal is to ensure consistent levels of aid when circumstances remain largely the same.

What happens when parents are divorced or separated?

Both parents are expected to contribute to the cost of their child’s education. Therefore, both parents are required to complete and submit a financial aid application and required supporting documentation to TADS.

Is my financial aid application confidential?

All applications and awards are held in the strictest confidence.

The most amazing thing about this is that my children were in an environment that has fostered a love of learning. Not only is the learning fun but the teachers allow the kids to be kids and use their own creativity. No matter where they go to middle school I believe that TRS has set the foundation of how teachers should treat students and how people treat people.

Lauri Andrews, TRS parent

The Raleigh School is an independent, secular school serving children in preschool through 5th grade.